BLEEDING BRAKES - Advice?

Motorcycling
1

So, I know how to bleed a set of brakes, easy enough…

But the other day, I went to see a couple mates who had just picked up a track bike, a late 90s CBR600, and my god the front brake on a total different level to any bleeding I’ve ever done! The lever was so solid it was bonkers. The master cylinder and twin front calipers were totally standard.

The rubber hoses had been replaced with braided lines, and the banjo bolt that went into the master cylinder had a bleed nipple screwed into the end of it.

Just wondered if anyone had any tips on how to do a mega bleed? Should I get a banjo bolt with a bleed nipple to go into my master cylinder? I know the trick of clamping the lever overnight, that works, but I’ve still never got anywhere near the firmness of this CBR lever.

Any tips from the seasoned pro’s amongst us?

Thanks! :slight_smile:

2

The lever would be spongy if it needed bleeding not solid, it may have a seized caliper…

3

Patience )))) leave em alone and still, then do it again after a couple of days, it lets any little small bubbles move to the bleed points.

4

I can cope with bleeding eyes and bleeding nipples but bleeding brakes, now that`s just abuse.:w00t:

5

I don’t understand your answer Martin.

Very good Mr Jetstream. Even brakes have feelings, they bleed too.

6

I think what Martin is trying to say is the reason the brake lever was solid is because the pistons in the calliper are seized, no movement in the piston therefore little movement in the lever.

7

Sometimes a great (or wrong size) master cylinder will give those results, they don’t seem to be achievable with standard kit - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, a brake like an on/off switch isn’t top of my list of things to have…

8

A solid lever would make me think there’s no air in the system, the air would be compressed as the lever is squeezed giving a spongy feel not solid…

9

It was a standard master cylinder, as I said in my original post. No seized calipers.

I know that a spongy lever means air in the system. And that a solid lever means good.

Again, not sure what you’re saying Martin.

Cheers Numnum. Patience? What is this ‘patience’? :smiley:

10

i must be misreading your original post, why do they need bleeding ?

11

Yes I think Martin, quite understandably, is missreading
Conrad’s initial post.

It could be read two ways…

  1. He wants to bleed the race bikes brakes

  2. After seeing how good the race bikes brakes are he now wants to bleed his own bikes brakes

And I suspect Conrad doesn’t realise his post can be read both ways and hence doesn’t understand Martins post.

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate :cool:

12

oh i see now, cheers Mike, i was reading it as he wanted to do this “mega bleed” on the race bike…

13

I use a vacuum bleeding tool.

Braided lines make a lot of difference to the feel of brakes. They become much more solid. I’ve had them on cars and bikes.

14

Ahh yes sorry, not clear enough!

  1. there is a race bike, with exceptional brakes
  2. there is my bike, with envious brakes

Just wanted to know how to bleed brakes up to a seriously high standard, as is the case on bike no. 1